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Cult Attendant
"Are they attacking now? No? Then you can tell the high priest about the rampaging mutants after morning prayers." Advanced (ToS) A cult attendant is an assistant to a cult’s priests, entrusted with organising all of the mundane details involved in the running of a temple. Cult attendants are concerned with the logistical side of a cult, organising orders of service, coordinating the activities of the clergy and the laity, and ensuring that rituals and prayers proceed as smoothly as possible. A cult attendant rules behind the scenes of a temple, and many pride themselves on remaining as inconspicuous as possible. Main Profile Secondary Profile Skills: Academic Knowledge (Theology), Charm, Common Knowledge (any one), Gossip, Perception, Read/Write, Speak Language (any one), Speak Language (Classical) Talents: Dealmaker, Public Speaking Trappings: Robes Career Entries Anointed Priest, Courtier, Initiate, Messenger, Priest, Valet Career Exits Politician, Priest, Squire, Steward A Day in the Life On an ideal day, the cult attendant attends to the many chores required to ensure the smooth running of his temple, such as the mundane tasks of keeping the temple clean and in good repair. But the attendant must also be prepared to serve the spiritual needs of the temple’s visitors. Ideal days are rare, however. It is not uncommon for a priest to fail to show up for a service they should be conducting. This occurs most often with militant priests, who are devoted to both their faith and the battlefield. Sometimes finding a replacement is just a matter of finding a priest in the temple and pointing him in the direction of the congregation, but sometimes messengers must be sent out to find a priest, any priest, and bring him in. Even a wandering priest of the god might be drafted in to fill a gap. Theft is another concern. While perhaps not as rampant as some may make it out to be, theft from temples and the faithful does occur. This presents two problems for the cult attendant. The most urgent is replacing the missing supplies, because the theft may not even be discovered until someone tries to use the item stolen. Finding the thief is also important, in an effort to both recover losses as well as put an end to the thefts. Little Known Facts Particularly skilled or efficient cult attendants may find themselves courted by larger, wealthier temples. It’s not at all unheard of for an attendant to leave one church altogether in favor of another that pays better, as the Church of Ulric is learning to its dismay in Middenheim. A cult attendant need not be officially ordained in the cult he serves. In fact, many cult attendants started as members of the congregation who took a special interest in the affairs of the temple. The cult attendant is under an enormous amount of stress, trying to balance expenses, keep the temple provisioned and maintained, while catering to the egos of priests, friars and prelates all making demands on the attendant’s time and resources. Even faithful cult attendants may succumb to the ennui of their role within a given order. They feel a burning need to make a difference for their faith, and more than one cult attendant has shirked that role to take up arms, filled with a righteous zeal. Lacking the military training of their brethren, these former cult attendants often end up as martyrs for their faith.